The noise in
a college dorm doesn't just keep you awake, it can also be a detriment
to studying. While there are always some students who don't think
studying is their main purpose for being at college, I'm certain
you realize that learning and getting good grades is your prime
purpose for being at a place of higher learning. But if you've gotten
used to studying in a quiet room, then you're definitely going to
have to adapt to studying in college.

Noise all by
itself doesn't have to be a problem. In high school you might have
accustomed yourself to studying while you had some music playing
in the background. But if you did, you set the volume, and there
weren't three, four, or five different kinds of music going on all
at the same time, as well as TVs blaring, people shouting, and someone
sharing your room who has no compunction about talking to you whenever
they feel like it. And the worst part is that you'll want to join
in those conversations. You'll want to be part of the action when
it's all around you. I'm going to go back to that word again, adapt,
because that's what you're going to have to do, adapt to the rhythm
of college life. Now, each dorm is going to be different, so you
have to be aware of what the rhythms of your particular dorm are
and work around them. If there is so much commotion going on between
the hours of, say, 8 and 10 p.m., then you can't plan on staying
in your room and getting any work done. On the other hand, if things
start to settle down most nights around 11, then you know that if
you have work to do, you can get started then, assuming you won't
conk out before you get done. But if the quiet hour is earlier,
then that's when you have to study.

Look for quiet
areas where you can study and use them when you have a test the
next day or reading that has to get done. If you need to use the
computer in your room to get work done, listen to a quiet CD through
headphones. The music will drown out much of the other noise. Most
dorms are pretty quiet in the morning, when the students are either
at class or sleeping. Make use of that time, if you can, to get
work done that requires a lot of concentration.

If you are
going to college with the intention of getting the absolute best
grades you can, or if you're on a scholarship that requires a certain
average, then you should consider living in a so-called "quiet"
dorm. It's not that these dorms are like monasteries, where no one
is permitted to speak. Rather, at a certain time, say 10 p.m., all
noise is supposed to stop, so the students can get some studying
done. Being in such an environment will most definitely help your
grade point average, which will help you throughout the rest of
your life a lot more than partying, so don't write off such dorms
so quickly.

Q My
family had to take out loans in order for me to go to college. My
parents told me that as I long as I kept a 3.5 average, they'd pay
off the loans, but if I fell below that, the loans would be my responsibility.
I live in a suite with five other guys, who are really great, but
none of them have to get good grades for financial reasons the way
I do, and I don't want to tell them about my arrangement with my
parents because I don't want them to feel sorry for me. The problem
is that they are sometimes a real distraction, literally forcing
me not to study in order to fool around. This is putting a lot of
pressure on me, and I don't know how to handle it

A. You
are learning what it feels to have the responsibilities of a grown-up,
which while somewhat unpleasant is not a bad lesson to learn. Eventually
you may have to decide between your friends and your GPA, but here's
a thought that might be a temporary cure. A college is a big place.
There are lots of little nooks and crannies where you can sneak
away to study and you won't be found. If you absolutely need time
to study, get out of your room and go study where you can concentrate.
If you require your computer and have to work in your room at times,
then you are just going to have to tell your friends your situation.
If you could get them to study a bit more, you would actually be
doing them quite a favor, so you needn't be so ashamed of your need
to hit the books, but rather they need to grow up a little and take
their studies more seriously.